Private India - A Review

Title : Private India

Author: Ashwin Sanghi & James Patterson

Publisher: Arrow Books

I really wanted to put off writing this review, hoping against all odds, that I can escape doing so. You know why, because I'm utterly disappointed!. An Ashwin Sanghi getting a not so good review from my end, would be the first (hopefully the last) .Especially when this is a Partnership between an awesome Indian writer and an Internationally acclaimed writer like Patterson.

The prologue starts off with a mention of Bomb attacks, and I feel, I'm in for a great read. The first chapter starts of with a murder, and not just  ‘a murder’ , it’s one which chills you. The victim is left with props (Yay, good start huh?). Enter – Private India –  who are brought in to investigate the murder, as the murder is committed in a Hotel, that is their client. Enter – Santosh Wagle, worn out, leans on alcohol to forget a past, but a clever, almost Sherlocky Investigator.

His team members include a very gorgeous  Nisha  Gandhe, who is shrewd and knows to get her way around things. Mubeen Yusuf, their forensic expert and the youngest member of their team, the Tech wizard  - Hari Padhi. Private India iscaptained by Santosh Wagh , however its direction is determined by Jack morgan.

Furthermore we have Rupesh, a cop and Santosh’s friend once upon a time.

Private India comes face to face with murders one after the other, however in the same pattern.  Suffocated with a Yellow scarf and finally left with Props. Was the killer leading the investigators on or just playing around with them, was yet to be known.

The entire plot revolves around fine, till we have confused Identity / muddled character sketch. It makes you wonder why it was created in the first place, why certain characters were introduced too. Hari Padhe’s character comes under the suspect category , in relation to the murder. Did we really need that?, that was really uncalled for. And especially the end to Hari’s character.

Introduction of munna and nimboo baba, were , I donno, was it needed. Ok munna maybe to a certain extent. However munna’s character is confused as well. He says he doesn’t help terrorists to bomb his city, and tehn he does! Why?. Nimboo Baba, is a lost case.

Rupesh’s link with Santosh’s past was another “what !!” . It was almost like a Sanjay Leela Bhansali film, going on, forever and types.

All the murders and reasons were mentioned (which was very loosely crafted , in my opinion), except one. I guess trying to link them all, was a herculean task. And the reasons were , Funny. Except a few, the rest were , funny.

So yea, its basically a Hyped Firecracker , which is supposed to rocket in the sky and have a display for about 5 minutes. What you get , is just a very faded noise, and no display at all.

It is a disappointment, maybe I did expect a lot from the author of Chanakya's Chant, Rozabal Line, The Krishna Key!!If you are an Ashwin Sanghi fan, this book is disappointing . If you are not, this is not the book you should read. Try reading his other books and come over for this. Will I recommend this?? I'm in two minds honestly. If you are reading his work for the first time don’t judge him by this book. Well it’s a joint collaboration , isn't it?? So I guess , it wont hurt .

My rating : 5/10.

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Sita's Curse - A Review

Book details:

Title : Sita's Curse

Author: Sreemoyee Piu Kundu

Genre: Feminist Erotic Literature

Publisher: Hachette India

Price: INR 350

"Somewhere, behind closed doors in her solitary world; Somewhere, under the sheets with an indifferent lover; Somewhere, is a woman who will not be denied..."

Sita’s curse is about MEERA PATEL, the story is of a woman who is fearless to explore her sexuality.The book starts of with a masturbation scene(Yes, kindly embrace sexuality here).Sexual details are vividly described in every second page. The author starts off with describing her parts with aplomb and later sticks on to “HER SEX” (err vagina isn’t a bad word!!) .Sexual content in the book did not bother me, what bothered me more was the fact that I assumed it to be a story of a woman who embraces her sexuality, rather than one who is super HORNY, she has sexual fantasies with her twin brother, with a girl, and almost everyone.

The book has been divided into two parts: the first part starts when Meera is thirteen and the second when she turns thirty. The book starts off with her childhood and her love and bonding she has towards her brother. However it turns weird when her own brother starts lusting for her!!! (errr, whatttt!!!!). She is discussing her breasts, changes in her body with her BROTHER (Some bond I tell you). She has fantasies of her dance teacher (and mind you she hasn't attained puberty here!!!). Oh and she does make out with her dance teacher, witnessed by her brother. Surprisingly, she knew exactly what to do!!. Her brother gets troubled as he wants her only to himself (Creepy). He Is sent off, and later dies. (one down, how many more to go).

So in an attempt to find someone who would make her feel; as karthik did, she makes out with everyone (even a girl). She even makes out with a stranger who saves her from the river (a complete stranger, mind you!!)From a dance teacher to a guruji, her “sex chat lover” – meera is depicted to have a insatiable appetite for SEX. To add to it she is married to a guy who can barely get his “organ” up. He rapes her the first time they make out. But all is forgotten, and she tries to crave his sexual attention every single time (Yawn). And not to forget , she also leches at her brother in law, and unabashedly watches him making out with his wife (errr, CREEP ALERT).

Im surprised she doesn't make out with Bansi (her brother in law, I guess the author let him be). The other main characters are a Guru and Yosuf(a guy she meets online). She makes out with the guru and obviously with yosuf!!. The Mumbai floods come in picture, where yosuf and her husband go missing. However meera , the insatiable woman that she is, believes in masturbating the day her husband goes missing. Also Chottu abruptly disappears as well.

My expectations after reading the blurb were super high. It was a complete dud for me. Has she done justice to the way the book is defined by many : “Bold, brazen and defiant, Sita's Curse looks at the hypocrisy of Indian society and tells the compelling story of a middle-class Indian housewife's urgent need for love, respect, acceptance and sexual fulfillment." I wouldn’t agree.

Yes Sreemoyee, we women do crave physical pleasure. We lust , we masturbate!! And there are bi-sexuals, and lesbians. However meera here comes across as a nymphomaniac, who requires medical HELP!!!

Couldn’t help but wonder if she transmitted any STD’s.

Rating : 3/10 


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Prisoner, Jailor, Prime Minister - Tabrik C

Book : Prisoner Jailer Prime Minister
Author : Tabrik C
Genre : Fiction
Price : 350/-


Before I talk about the Book, I definitely need to talk about the creative/ Book cover. It shows a lonely man walking towards Sunset, with a caption that reads "You Can't outrun Fate..." . The Book cover,by itself gives us a man chained in emotions (solely my interpretations - and i can definitely be wrong). Why am i talking about the cover?, Well after reading the Blurb  - "India has a new Prime minister but is Siddhartha Tagore the product of his genius or of his dangerous mind" , gave me chills, enough to make me want to read this book, and the cover just added to it all. So kudos to the design ,Anuj Malhotra.

About the Author

You can definitely google all of it. Here is what I felt - He has combined his interests of being a political enthusiast, a perfumer to give birth to this book. He seems very interested in Politics and is adept at giving witty quotes as well. "Modi is as far from Vajpayee, as Heaven is from Earth" . I'm sure the politically inclined will definitely love him.


About the BOOK

The Book completely belongs to Siddhartha Tagore. He is a Politician, and a gifted musician. I love the musician in him more, as that's where the true Siddhartha emerges. Yes he is fictional, but I'm in total awe of his character.

The author is a firm believer in Karma, as you will know once you read the book, as certain events unfold. Despite Siddhartha's Charisma, despite the emotional connect that the author has skillfully managed to achieve. Somewhere, it was just too predictable, what began as a "hold your seats ride" becomes a "read at your own pace". 

The Nuclear Blast that takes on early in the book, is spoken about at the end,and by then you would have tend to forget about it. There are loose ends,where certain episodes are left for the readers imagination. A murder happens, however, we are not told further about it, except the predictable murderer. It was a "High Profile" Investigation, and then its not spoken about.

The Author definitely loves Harley , as there is so much mention of it. 

The Book is definitely a beautiful read, however do not have high expectations from it. Its beautiful in places and blaaah in others. 

What i loved about the ease with which he shifts time frames. You don't get confused at all. A little bored , yes, but not confused.

I loved his style of switching Fonts with different formats of communication.He has used a lot of News reports, emails, letters, thought processes as communication, and effortlessly conveys the same without creating any confusion.

His characters apart from Siddhartha, Rubaya and her Parents, are a little loosely etched. Their emotional transitions happen faster than the blink of an eye.If only he had moulded them a little more.

For his first book, I would say its commendable. 

If you have read so far, I'll say read the book , for Siddhartha Tagore, there are very few protagonists, who can actually make you feel the pain and loss of a loved one so well, and he does ,all thanks to Tabrik.

Thank you for Siddhartha Tagore.

He is a conflicted, disturbed individual, both charismatic and controlled by opposite sides of his erotic personality and genius. He is certainly not an opportunist but a man who rides a Tsunami of his own creation. A powerful idealist – a flawed hero! - Tabrik 

I would Rate this Book a 6(only for Siddhartha) /10






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Inferno by Dan Brown

NEVER and i mean it NEVER EVER LET ANYONE'S OPINION CLOUD YOUR DESIRE TO READ A BOOK!!!!!

So here i was waiting for INFERNO, and when i finally got it. I had to listen to bazillions of opinions of how bad the book is, or how okay, it is , and so on and so forth. So i let Dan brown's, Inferno be. I never even glanced at it, till some hours back, when i set to read it. I must say, apart from the fact that i so love Dan brown for his extensive research in his books, i was awed by his imagination and amazing ability to make me stay awake and read his entire book.

The Book is a must have, for all those who love fiction with a sprinkling of History. Dan Browns Protagonist finds himself in Florence , without a clue as to how he got there. He is diagnosed with Retrograde Amnesia. All that he remembers is a vision of a Silver haired Woman , saying "seek and you shall find" . His only hope is Dr. Sienna Brooks , who helps him escape from a Spike Hair assassin , and a group of men dressed in Black.

Robert Langdon is faced with a task of finding something he has no recollection of. He is aided by Sienna, and is faced to try and decipher all of it in a limited time frame, owing to a deadly assassin chasing him.

The Book is a fast paced read, and never for once would you feel like keeping it aside. It captures and takes the readers on a  journey of finding something that threatens to endanger Human life. The Characters apart from Langdon, are Feisty and well etched. They have been described so well, that you tend to form a mental image of them.

Cheers to Dan Brown on another wonderful read.

An authors new book is definitely compared or judged to his old ones. When you do so, you totally loose the plot. Read it with an open mind, and you will see the brilliance that an author can unfold in pages.

I would rate it a 8/10.

Pink or Black - HIgh Drama at HIgh school

Pink or Black 2 

Tishaa

So Pink or Black 2 is about a lot of kids in the 11^th grade, to whom clearly emotions and relationships are of no particular importance. Our protagonist Tianna, just starts off with  a new year at school, and is bought face to face with incidents in her past.

She reveals her secret to her friends who don’t believe in keeping secrets and spill the beans, about her past in front of the whole school. (some friends eh?). She has surprises in form of her cousin Tea, who lands up in her school as the “hot new thing”, and slowly sizzles away. She plays her part, rather takes revenge in a very dramatic rather stupid manner.

Tianna’s friends are no longer her friends and start bitching about her the minute she is out of ear  - shot. Every “hot” or “good looking” guy is in “love” or has “feelings” for her. Her ex-boyfriend, breaks up with her, and can’t take the fact that she took the break-up so coolly!. I’m sorry, is the author really delusional?? .

To add more to the story, there is this set of “rival” gang with whom she is forced to eat lunch with and they become her “friends”, with whom she confides everything!!there is this on and off friendship that she shares with Leila. I’m seriously starting to think that this chick is demented or rather needs help.

Anyways so everything gets sorted out in la-la land. Realization dawns on tianna with regard to friendship and love. Sigh!!!

You know what , one word which describes this book : AVOID.

I mean where do teenagers behave this way?? Do you treat your friends indifferently just because the new “hot” guy knows your friend?? Do you treat her like crap because she has her own POV??? Well if you do , then this book is for you.

My ratings : 2/10

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The Bankster

by Ravi Subramanian

Courtesy : Goodreads

About the author

(courtesy :Goodreads)

Ravi is an alumnus of IIM-Bangalore, batch of 1993. In a banking career spanning close to 18 years, he has worked with various multinational banks (Citibank, ANZ Grindlays Bank and HSBC) and at present lives in Mumbai with his wife and nine year old daughter.

An author of five books, THE BANKSTER, If God was a Banker, The Incredible Banker, Devil in Pinstripes and I Bought the Monk's Ferrari, Ravi Subramanian’s maiden fiction venture, “If God Was a Banker” was published in 2007, establishing itself as a National Bestseller. The book also won the prestigious Golden Quill Award for Readers Choice for the year 2008. His second book, “I Bought the Monk’s Ferrari” followed shortly after also setting the bookshelves on fire and is a bestseller in its category. Devil in Pinstripes was his third book which released in 2009.

His last book, The Incredible Banker, which released in September 2011 has been on various bestseller lists ever since the launch. In fact it has been on the crossword book store best seller list for 40 weeks of the last 48 weeks.

As a result of his extensive background in foreign banks, writing about banking comes quite naturally to Ravi. Each one of his books thus far have been set in the backdrop of a foreign bank. The Wall Street journal has referred to Ravi Subramanian as the John Grisham of Banking.

My take on the Book

When I saw the book, the first thing that caught my attention was a line out of the Wall Street Journal saying “Meet the John Grisham of banking”. Intrigued and with loads of expectation, I flipped on to read the Bankster.

Oscillating with three different parallels spanning continents and various characters, the Author slowly unwraps a mystery in the African country of Angola with Joseph Bragnanza, a CIA covert agent involved in blood diamonds and arms dealing. From there it smoothly switches to a budding protest against a nuclear plant in Kerala, though it appears to be out of context it is brilliantly linked at the end, and finally the GB2(Greater Boston Global Bank) where manipulations and power struggle brings out the various shades of the corporate world.

What possibly could be the connecting point of an international CIA agent and events happening in Kerala and the tragic deaths of Greater Boston Global bank employees becomes the main plot of the story. The author manages to hold your interest. Usually when there are three different plots, authors tend to not handle it well, however Ravi Subramanian has handled that responsibility with ease

The case presented as a local happening unfolds as an international crime scene. Similarly, the death of some bank employees which initially looks like suicides later proves to be planned cold-blooded murders.

It’s only when a media person (Karan Panjab) and ex-banker suspects that something is amiss. That he decides to investigate it. With very less time in hand, he manages to expose the real culprits.

Yes I do know it’s a piece of fiction, however, personally I found it a little too vague, inspite of Karan’s background being presented by the author, that a media personnel, would within a limited time frame, unravel this complex mystery.

Karan is supported by some trusted colleagues and his girlfriend, However at times the author did bring in unnecessary elements of romance in the nail biting, time restricted  plot.

The author’s  style of writing is decent and not much difficult. The author has simplified many banking terms thus making it 

an easy read for a person belonging to a non-finance sector.

The only factor that was a let down for me was the unwanted length and dialogues at certain places the book seemed to drag on without an aim. However, if we overlook all of that, I must say that the Bankster is definitely worth a read.

And about whether agree with the Wall Street Journal about him being the “john Grisham of banking” … hmmm .. not yet… But too soon ..yes

My rating : 7/10

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The Krishna Key

Ashwin Sanghi 

The Krishna Key

Book Summary of The Krishna Key

Five thousand years ago, there came to earth a magical being called Krishna, who brought about innumerable miracles for the good of mankind. Humanity despaired of its fate if the Blue God were to die but was reassured that he would return in a fresh avatar when needed in the eventual Dark Age—the Kaliyug.

About The Author

Ashwin Sanghi is one of the well known writers in the Indian literary scene, and an author of thriller fiction. He shot to fame through his first release, The Rozabal Line. His books are characterized by extensive research, and they're fast paced political or historical thrillers.

Ashwin is an entrepreneur by profession but writing historical fiction in the thriller genre is his passion and hobby. Ashwin was educated at the Cathedral & John Connon School, Mumbai, and St Xavier's College, Mumbai. He holds a masters degree from Yale and is working towards a Ph.D. in Creative Writing. Ashwin lives in Mumbai with his wife, Anushika, and his son, Raghuvir.

My Take on the Book

Having read Chanakya Chant I was more than thrilled to read The Krishna Key. Ashwin Sanghi’s books are well researched and ensure a fast paced read.

I had a very strong feeling of Déjà vu, when I started reading the book. maybe because I recently read “The Lost Symbol’ by Dan Brown.  I found many similarities between the protagonists and the characters of the Krishna key when compared to Dan browns books. Just like Robert Langdon, our Protagonist Ravi Mohan Saini, is an expert in the field of history, and in his pursuit of truth, finds himself a strong barrier in the form of an investigating officer.

Similarities apart, the Krishna Key provides an intriguing read. The author has provided parallel story about Krishna, in a very simple manner, which helps an individual with limited knowledge in Hinduism about the background of Lord Krishna.

The research done by him is commendable. However, even while decrypting certain codes and trying to arrive at a valid conclusion my mind kept drifting away to Dan Brown. I would say he definitely has provided an indianized version of Dan Browns Stories.

His writing style is something that will hold your interest, however in two places; he has mixed up the names of the characters, which tend to be a spoiler. Also he has missed out a word in yet another sentence. Also towards the end, on the pretext of trying to buy time, we are given another scoop of information about the evolution of the universe which I feel was totally uncalled for.

The author has simplified the book, by providing various pictures as well, which definitely helps the readers to have a better understanding of the subject. Overall it was a good read, with uncalled for lag, and detailed explanations in some.

Just like Robert Langdon. Our Ravi Mohan Saini is also helped by a Female. Here I liked the added twist, which definitely was a breath of fresh air.

What makes this book a feel good factor, is the mention of our ancestor’s knowledge with regard to the varied fields known to man, be it science technology, human mind, etc. In a way it is a reminder to us, to read and relive in the moments of the past through the various ancient texts.

My Rating : 7/10

P:S - I have started a bit of Research of late with the predicted Apocalypse on 21st December 2012. Most of the writings, predictions point in one direction, that the "end" is an end from Darkness to light, from Ignorance to Knowledge. Just broaden your minds here, its about time to read the scriptures and ancient texts, they definitely hold a lot of mysteries.

PPS : I was glad about th above piece of information, as i have recurrent nightmare of drowning, and i don't know to swim, and am too scared to learn as well. :P :P

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Book Review - Love in crazy times

Love in Crazy Times

K V Gautam

About the Book

Love in Crazy Times is a gripping tale of search for love and freedom, braving heart-breaks, evil bosses and family pressure. The protagonist Amit is a daring middle class guy who chases both love and dream of starting his own business. He is faced with the hypocritical Indian society and the corrupt business class on his path. His victory is not easy and comes after a long trail of personal and professional setbacks. The story also shows how India, after the economic liberalization, is offering immense opportunities as well as challenges to young people. It’s also about the cultural gap between a small town and a metro, and how parents find it difficult to adjust in a fast changing nation. The story, narrated in the first person by Amit, is set in Delhi from the period of 2005 to 2011. The story follows life of Amit, a small town boy armed with optimism and confidence, who comes to Delhi in search of a job. The story also narrates personal and professional struggles of his friends Suraj and Shantanu, who came to Delhi from Lucknow and Kolkata respectively. It’s a racy and pacey story that has elements of romance, humour, emotions, drama and a bit of social message.

Book Details

ISBN-13: 9789350830949	ISBN-10: 9350830949
Publisher: Diamond Books	Published Date: 2012

Book Review

Once you read the blurb, you tend to easily relate with the Protagonist –Amit. He is someone whose experiences strike a chord.

The plot is good .Its similar to what is being churned out these days, but still the impressive cover, a la mills and boons feel, makes you want to give it a read. Honestly, i feel i understand the phrase 'not to judge a book by its cover'(literally) much better.The book did not really give me the effect that it promises in its blurb.

The language is grammatically incorrect in most of the pages, which really makes you not want to read further. Confusion with regard to the characters names by the author, make it more of something you do not want to read. For example Suraj’s girlfriend is referred to as Renu and Ritu.

His friend Shantanu, who gets married on the basis of astrology twice, doesnot really elicit any sympathy. I pity him, not in a way that my heart goes out to him!!

The book is slow paced, and as the story progresses, the protagonist seems like an intolerable loser, who falls in love with every girl he meets. This book did not work for me at all.

The Characters are loosely etched. The happy ending was  expected, but not justified. 

Rating : 1/10

Fractured legend

Fractured Legend

Author : Kranthi Askani

About The author

Kranthi Askani is a novelist from Hyderabad, India. His fictional style integrates magical realism with gothic elements.

What do you do when you get a personally autographed book from the author?? Well I’m not sure about most of you, I was Happy, and was all set to read the book. Of course, you need not always feel the same state of emotion you were in initially. So here I started off, and with the very first line I went “ehh, errr whatt’ yea! So anyways, I read on further, and come across ‘I would squeal and scurries back like a touch-me-not….’ And here I was thinking that squealing and scurrying was attributed to a rat/mouse.

Further, ‘of the eleven others, I like Aardya the most. She is humble and has a straight Jaw. Everyone teased her, I never teased her’. Yes , i still kept reading!!

So here I realized that definitely the author’s fictional style of integrating magical realism and gothic elements was definitely not something I looked forward to reading.

I found it really hard to read the book owing to the writing style of the author, which I personally felt, would put Indian soaps to shame. You know how each dialogue is said in slow motion in serials?? I felt the writing to be such. Also, just because you use some bi words out of context doesn’t make the content worthwhile.

None of the characters were appealing; they only managed to make me want to yawn.

There is an obvious lag in the story line, for instance, Priyambada goes to talk to Annapurna about how she could earn money or rather get some job. Here Priyambada is distracted by a ‘Sieve’ (Yes a SIEVE for crying out loud), and we are told as to how she lost a sieve herself. So I’m sure you get the point, right?

The book is divided into three parts – Slave, Manuscript, and A very long letter. In each pat , we have thre different female protagonists - Priyambada, Nandhini and Pravalli . Somehow, none of them were interesting

I personally did not like the Book. For me it was definitely Fractured.

My review:  1/10.

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Wings of Silence

Wings of Silence

Author : Shriram Iyer

About the Author : Bangalore-born Shriram Iyer, a management professional based in Melbourne, Australia, has authored several short stories, theatre scripts and screenplays for short films. Silver-medalist under the Shankar’s International Award in 1996 given by the President of India, Shriram is also a professional singer who has to his credit an Indian pop album, Is Dhundh Mein, (released in 2007 by well-known singer Shankar Mahadevan) as well as over 400 concerts in India, Australia, New Zealand and USA. Wings of Silence is his debut novel.

"A spellbinding story...the real winner in this exhilarating but tender tale is unconditional brotherly love that Shriram Iyer describes in mesmerizing and elegant prose." - Oswald Pereira, Bestselling Author, The Newsroom Mafia.

I cannot really wipe out the smile on my face, even when I sit to review this book. You know there are certain books that you just skim through and it doesn’t really make you happy and then there is “Wings of Silence”, which makes you respect relations, understand certain intricate details in relationships, and communicate without language.

So to start of with we are given a glimpse of Ajay Sethi, an ex Air India official, who was captured and imprisoned in line of duty, and later how he escapes with an injured leg. Here we can easily picture a man of few words, bound by discipline and duty , to whom “Failure” is a word he omitted from his life.

His two sons : Saurav Sethi and Raj Sethi, take the story forward. Raj, the eldest ,is born deaf, owing to which he has a difficult childhood, as compared to an ordinary child, or rather as compared to his younger brother Saurav Sethi, or the one with  a “Midas touch”.

Saurav becomes the son his Father dotes on, as he epitomizes Strength, courage, determination, ambition, focus – all what his father set his life by. The brothers are as different as chalk and cheese, and the same is well described by the author, with a description of their rooms, which in a way described their life’s.

Saurav, grows up to be the next Tennis Star, and in the meanwhile his brother is left out in the rat race. His father completely dotes on him and spends his “Life” completely dedicated towards his sons “tennis career”, whereas he completely ignored his elder Son’s need for acceptance.

As situations unfold, the brothers bond emotionally, and Saurav takes it upon himself to resurrect his Brothers Life, which was crumbling down, much to the annoyance of his father. He helps Raj become the Person Raj aspires to be, by being his constant support and guide. He is helped in this ambition by his “soulmate” Shalini, and his aunt Sheela.

Shriram Iyer has beautifully unfolded a Family for us through the pages of his book. A family with characters that will make you laugh, cry, and empathize with. Characters  you would be able to relate with.

His style of writing is such that it enables for a fast paced read. Events have been well researched. The triumph of the characters feels like a personal triumph for the readers.

Having said all of this , if you ask me what was it that I did not like about the book, id say (a very personal desire) , I would have been happy if all the characters got what they wanted. But well, in reality , that is something that would have been inappropriate. Are you wondering what im talking about??? If Yes, grab a copy of “Wings of Silence” , because this is one “hell of  a book”, and I would absonfreakinlutely want YOU to read it.

 For the AUTHOR, Hats off sir, for a fist timer, you are simply “Rocking”, awaiting your next book.

Oh and my Rating: 10/10 . (like you didn’t know it already)


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The Devotion of Suspect X

When you are presented with an opportunity to read something that has apparently been a “best-seller”, having sold over 2 million copies, you would obviously not let go of that, right?

Title: The Devotion of Suspect X

Author: Keigo Higashino.

                                               

About The Author: Keigo Higashino was born in Osaka. He started writing novels while still working as an Engineer and won the Edogawa Rampo Prize for writing at age 27. The Devotion of Suspect X has sold over 2 million copies in Japan and has been made into a cult film.

Do I like this book: Hell yes! Having read snippets about the book, we realize that the story revolves around a single mother (Yasuko), and her Daughter (Misato), and how their world turns upside down, when her ex-husband (Togashi) returns after 5 years. The novel starts of, with a murder being committed, and that takes up 2 chapters of the book, and you are left with wondering, what comprises the remaining chapters. However, the author has interwoven his story with such brilliance, that you would not feel like letting go of the book without a complete understanding of the story.

The Land of the Wilted Rose

Mental Note to Self : Never (NEVER) READ a book, you accidently clicked on to REVIEW.

About the Author : Anand Ranganathan read Chemistry at St. Stephen’s, Delhi, and thereafter went to Cambridge for his BA in Natural Sciences. He stayed on at Cambridge for his PhD and post-doctoral studies. After returning to India, he joined the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology at Delhi, where at present he is researching tuberculosis and dengue, among other things. The Land of the Wilted Rose is his debut novel.

My Rant on this book : Honestly, i was putting of reviewing this book, until I got a reminder from BLOGADDA about the same. I could review it in THREE WORDS … “WHAT A MISTAKE”

Are we still reading for more??? Alright here goes : SO I was a little apprehensive as to how to review this Book, especially as I was having a tough time reading the same. So then I force myself to start , and turn the pages(read), and well the only thing that kept running in my head was , the authors reason of wanting to come up with this novel. We all are accustomed to Gandhi, and having a “White Mahatma” did not clearly make any sense to me.